A woman faces judgment and family disapproval for dating a man 23 years younger but believes their love is worth it.
Rachel Allen, 48, is in a relationship with a man who is 23 years her junior. Her boyfriend, Alex Michael, is 25 years old.
The couple has faced many challenges due to their age difference.
However, they are happy together and do not let others’ opinions affect their bond.
50-year-old mom dates man 23 years younger than her despite online criticism and family disapproval
How did they meet?
Rachel and Alex met on a dating app after Rachel went through a divorce.
After being married for 26 years, she was ready to start dating again.
She didn’t adjust the app’s age preferences, leading her to connect with Alex, who was curious about dating older women.
Rachel was surprised when Alex reached out to her with a kind message.
They began talking every day and quickly felt a strong connection.
Despite living in different cities—Rachel in Houston, Texas, and Alex in New York—they decided to meet in person.
The mom and her younger partner developed a strong loving relationship.
When they first met, Rachel had no expectations. She simply wanted to see if there was chemistry between them.
To her delight, they hit it off even more in person.
They spent time together exploring different places and continued to deepen their relationship.
Rachel eventually invited Alex to move in with her in Texas.
He accepted and found a remote job that allowed him to work from there.
They both felt that their relationship was special and worth pursuing.
“I never expected this to turn into a relationship, I thought it was just going to be a fling.
“But things progressed with us and we went on lots of trips, so I asked Alex, who is from New York, to come and live with me in Texas.
“Eventually, I asked Alex if he wanted to move to Texas and live with me.
“He got a remote job and everything fell into place.”
They faced judgment but remained strong.
While Rachel and Alex are in love, they often deal with judgment from strangers.
Many people mistake them for mother and son because of their age difference.
Rachel recalls an incident at the gym when someone shouted that they looked like a mother-and-son duo.
They usually laugh off these comments but admit it can be frustrating.
“Alex and I are often told we look alike and we’re regularly mistaken to be mother and son,” Rachel explains.
“When we walked into a gym together for the first time, the man on the front desk shouted ‘mother and son! I can definitely see it!’ to us.”
“But I think he started to get the idea after we started walking in together holding hands.
“And on another occasion, a lady told me I had raised him right. We just laugh it off.”
Family disapproval
Rachel also faces criticism from Alex’s family, who are not supportive of their relationship.
She has two sons, ages 22 and 19, and her younger son is more accepting of her relationship with Alex.
However, her older son has struggled with it, even though he remains respectful.
Rachel explains: “Neither of us had experienced such an intense connection before, however, we received lots of push back from our families.
“Alex’s family is especially not happy about our relationship.
“I have two sons. They’re 22, and 19. My youngest has been the most open and embraced it more, and I have had more push back from my eldest, however, he is always respectful.”
She added: “We get stares and pointed at when we are out and about together, and it’s mainly from women.
“I have even had people yell ‘cougar’ at me.”
They discussed marriage and family options together.
Rachel and Alex have talked about marriage and starting a family.
Rachel can’t have more biological children, but they’ve considered adoption or surrogacy to expand their family.
They are both excited about the possibility of building a life together.
Rachel feels grateful to have someone who supports her and helps her grow.
She appreciates how Alex has maturity beyond his years and has positively influenced her life.
“We have talked about our future, marriage and kids.
“Biologically, I wouldn’t be able to have any more kids, so if we decided we wanted to start a family together in the future it would have to be through another route. Perhaps adoptions or surrogacy.
“But we are in a serious, committed relationship and just taking each day as it comes. We are both so happy.”
